[POSSIBILITY OF INFLUENZA PANDEMIC PREDICTION].

Five influenza pandemics emerged in the 20th and 21st centuries. Data regarding possibility of infection of swine with human influenza viruses-and persistent circulation of these strains among swine with subsequent infection of humans with these viruses were obtained in the recent years. A possibility of prediction of influenza pandemics by constant observation and study of influenza viruses circulating among swine is discussed in the paper.

Chitosan as an adjuvant for poliovaccine.

The use of inactivated poliomyelitis vaccine is very important for eradicating poliomyelitis. However, this vaccine is not available readily in underdeveloped countries due to the high cost. Adjuvants can improve the immunogenicity of a vaccine and reduce the antigen dose required for vaccination, thus lowering the cost of the vaccine.

Evaluation of properties of chitosan as an adjuvant for inactivated influenza vaccines administered parenterally.

Studies on mice showed that chitosan as an adjuvant for H5 inactivated influenza vaccines administered intramuscularly enhances significantly antibody titers and protective efficiency not only against homologous influenza viruses, but also against drift variants. Chitosan adjuvanted vaccines induced high antibody titers after a single immunization and with a low dose of antigen. High antibody titers remained for at least 6 months.

Chitosan as an adjuvant for parenterally administered inactivated influenza vaccines.

The addition of 0.5% of a chitosan derivative to inactivated influenza vaccines injected parenterally resulted in a four or six to tenfold increase in antibody titres after a single-dose or two-dose intramuscular immunization of mice, respectively, in comparison with antibody titres after immunization without chitosan. Chitosan-adjuvanted vaccines enhanced antibody titers against drift variants of A- and B-type human influenza viruses four to six times compared with the vaccines without chitosan.

Molecular mechanisms of reversion to the ts+ (non-temperature-sensitive) phenotype of influenza A cold-adapted (ca) virus strains.

A ts+ ca- (non-temperature-sensitive, non-cold-adapted) revertant of the A/Leningrad/134/47/57 ca strain influenza virus [A/Leningrad/134/47/ts+18/1957(H2N2)], obtained in our previous study, lost phenotypic manifestation of ts mutations by the PB2, NP and NS genes, although, according to sequencing data, it acquired only two true reversions of a mutation in the PB2 and PB1 genes. Direct sequencing showed the appearance of 27 additional mutations (13 coding) in the genes encoding the PB2, PB1, PA, NP, M and NS proteins of the revertant, along with the above-mentioned two true reversions. We conjecture that some of these mutations suppressed phenotypic manifestation of ts mutations in the NS and NP genes.